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Rh a deacon, a priest, a bishop is the Sacrament of Holy Orders; that the other ceremonies are only sacramentals, blessings at the appointment, like our minor orders. But this distinction does not appear to be very clear to Nestorians. A ceremony suspiciously like reordination, for instance, is appointed for a bishop who becomes Patriarch.

At one time monasticism flourished among the Nestorians (p. 110); ruins of their monasteries may be seen all over the plain of Mosul. None are now inhabited. The monastic life fell to pieces since the 14th century, especially because of the characteristic Nestorian prejudice against celibacy. Since the 14th century they admit a very easy dispensation from vows of celibacy, by which a monk can marry and return to the world. Nor have they any longer convents of nuns. But a few hermits exist in Kurdistan, who live alone, under obedience to the nearest parish priest. There are also a few pious unmarried women, living with their relations, and occupied with good works. These take a vow of celibacy (always with the possibility of easy dispensation). The only monastery of this rite is the Uniate one of Rabban Hurmīzd.

All these persons (and the laity too) are governed in Church matters by canon law. Nestorian canon law is taken from three main sources. First are the "Western Synods," namely, such synods held in the empire before their schism as they recognize. Among these they count a number held against the Arians—Neo-Cæsarea in 314, Nicæa in 325, Antioch in encœniis (341), Ancyra in 358, and others. Mâruthâ of Maiferḳaṭ made a collection of these in 410. Later the disciplinary canons of Chalcedon (451) were added to them. Some of the acts of Western Synods are generally added to later Nestorian collections. The second main source is the collection of synods held by Katholikoi of Seleucia-Ctesiphon down to the 8th century. These are the "Eastern Synods." An unknown Nestorian collected these between the years 775 and 790. Oskar Braun published the collection in 1900 in a German translation. Later J. B. Chabot